Love In Purgatory
by x-bankotsu-luver-x
Summary: The final battle was intense. It left a certain raven-haired miko lost in heartbreak. Five years later, can this unexpected visitor help her heal her poor heart?
1. Aw shit

**Hey everyone it's me again! Here's another story I've been kind of toying around with! Hope you enjoy, R &R!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, or any of it's given characters.**

The thunder was still roaring when she finally looked outside. It seemed like forever and yet yesterday since he died. She had to force herself to speak his name, if not aloud. Inuyasha. The thought of him made the fire in her heart roar once more, as it had once long ago. Five long years had passed since Inuyasha died. No- since that _THING_ killed him. Naraku. Of course, in a fit of rage, Sesshomaru had actually managed to rip his head off and get to his heart to rip it to shreds. But still, it wasn't enough to Kagome. Her best friend was dead. She had long before given up her passionate love for him, and settled on loving him as a really good friend. The well had closed, and everyone had moved on. Except her.

The thunder roared again, pulling Kagome full-force from her thoughts. She stood, and retrieved the kettle from her fire. Dipping her tea bag in, her mind wandered again.

'I wonder what everyone has been doing. How they are. I'm sure Shippo has grown into a nice looking demon. Sango and Miroku are probably married and have kids by now. I wonder if they rebuilt her village or if they went to stay in his temple. Maybe they aren't even together. They could have gone their separate ways for all I know. What if they're-' a knock interrupted her thoughts, scaring her and causing her to spill her tea.

"Damnit!" she cursed as she wiped herself off and went to the door.

"Who is it? My husband will be home soon!" she shouted to whoever was on the other side if the door.

"Open up or I'll break the door down! It's cold as fuck out here!" a gruff voice answered. Kagome peeped through the door. When she saw who it was, her hand flew to her mouth, stifling a scream.

"Oh no. Not you!" the person shouted.

"Yes, me. You might as well come in, Bankotsu. It's pouring and you wont find another hut for miles. " she replied, stepping back from the door. He groaned, but walked in anyways, having the courtesy to take his boots off. She walked back to her seat, offering him the one across from her. He complied, and she poured two cups of water, dipping tea bags in both. She gave him one, and kept the other for herself. He took it, and gulped down a swallow.

"When was the last time you ate?" she asked, eyeing him. He didn't look as though he'd been doing too great. She guessed he was on his own. Perhaps his brothers had been killed again. Or perhaps they just died. She knew he wouldn't kill Jakotsu or Suikotsu himself. They were his favorite and most loyal brothers.

"I don't know. Maybe a week ago?" he said, looking off. Immediately she stood up and started making the rest of the pork she had along with the rest of the potatoes.

Bankotsu watched her as she bustled around her tiny kitchen area, preparing what looked like the last of the food she had preserved. He didn't find any reason for her to do that, he'd gone longer without eating, yet here she was, cooking the last of her food. When she finished, she sat it down in front of him.

"Eat. But do it slowly, you don't want to risk upsetting your stomach or over stuffing yourself. Your stomach could swell if you eat too quickly. It's not a good thing." she said as she sat back down. Bankotsu looked from the food to her and back.

"Why are you doing this? I've tried to kill you before. I could've been setting you up to kill you anyway." he said. She simply shrugged and went back to her tea.

"If you wanted me dead, you would have killed me as soon as you saw me." she replied, sipping her drink. She looked at him over the edge of the cup, only to see him still staring at her.

"Well, what about you? Don't think I didn't notice this is the last of your food. You've gotta eat, too." he tried. Again, she shrugged.

"I ate earlier. Eat." she stated simply going back to her tea. He rolled his eyes. Obviously there was no arguing with her on this. So he began to eat. Slowly, like she had told him. Finally he stood, and walked his dishes to the wash basin. He rinsed them, and came to stand in front of Kagome. When she looked up, he held a decent sized piece of meat out to her. She shook her head in return, but he refused to give it up. He grabbed her hand and stuck the meat in it and sat down in his seat. He stared at her intently until she gave up and started ripping the meat apart and eating it delicately. He smiled, completely satisfied with himself.

"So what happened to all your friends?" he asked, trying to spark conversation. She stilled for a moment, but finished her meat and looked at him.

"I don't really know. Inuyasha died in the battle against Naraku, and the rest of them left; went to do their own thing, and move on," she stated simply. "What about you?" she could see him cringe.

"Renkotsu went nuts after our last fight with Inuyasha andhe started slaughtering our brothers. Even Ginkotsu. I was barely able to defeat him. I've been by myself for over five years now." he said, looking sorrowfully at his cup. Kagome felt her heart twinge for this poor man. Just like her, he lost his closest friends and family in one fell swoop. She reached across the table and grabbed his free hand. He looked at her, utterly surprised.

"I have too. It gets a little easier every day when you have something to distract you." she said soothingly. He gave her a small smile.

"You do realize that I'm still 'Bankotsu, Leader of the Shichinintai, killer of a thousand', right?" he asked, eyeing her. She laughed and nodded.

"Yeah. I know. Big bad Ban. You may be all that, but it's different now. There's no Naraku, no Inuyasha, no Band of Seven. There's just, Bankotsu. I hate to say it but it's the truth. There's no reason to behave otherwise." she muttered calmly. Bankotsu just stared at her.

'This woman. The audacity she has, talking to me like that. Who the hell does she think she is?' he wondered, watching her wide eyed. She did not look amused.

"What are you staring at, Bambi?" she asked.

"Who's Bambi? And who's staring?" he scoffed, looking toward the window. It was still storming heavily.

"A deer in a story from my village. And you were." she said, standing. She made up a mat for him, not too far from the shoji screen separating her bedroom from the rest of the hut. Grateful for something other than the cold forest ground to sleep on, he sank into the blankets and quickly fell asleep. She watched him, shocked and came to the conclusion that he had been through hell.

Sighing, she pulled the blanket to his chin and slipped behind the shoji screen, stripping her clothes off, and slipping into her pajamas. Luckily, during her last visit to the future before the well closed, she had grabbed a lot of clothes and pajamas. So at least she could be comfortable in the clothes from her time which people usually get used to pretty quickly. After gawking, of course. She slipped into bed, abandoning all thoughts of the last five years. They were dull, anyway.


	2. A Trip To Edo

**Love In Purgatory**

 **Chapter 2**

 _Here we go, guys! Chapter two is up and running! Hope you enjoy! R &R please_

 _Disclaimer! I do not own Inuyasha, or any of it's given characters._

Bankotsu woke with a start. He rubbed the nightmare from his eyes, and looked around. Remembering where he was, and who's hut he was in, he looked towards the shoji screen. He could barely make it out, thanks to the candle, but he could see her silhouette. He slipped behind the screen, checking to make sure she was okay. To his dismay, she was shivering. He grabbed his blanket and put it over her, along with pulling the one she was already using to her chin. When that didn't help, he crawled into bed with her. Instantly, she cuddled up to him and was able to calm down.

'Probably a nightmare. I wonder if it was about that mutt getting killed. Poor girl was probably forced to watch it, too. Naraku, that prick. If he wasn't dead already I'd kill him myself.' he thought as he dozed off. Little did he know, just how accurate he was.

* * *

It was too real. The smells, the heat, the exhaustion and adrenaline, everything.

'No, this isn't possible. It's been five years. No…' she thought, horror lining her features. She looked around quickly, her eyes darting to everyone and everything around. Sango, Miroku, Kirara, Shippo, Naraku. A flash of red and white crossed her vision and she let out a gasp. She was about to yell his name but stopped herself.

'That's how he got killed in the first place,' she thought solemnly. She ran towards him, trying as best she could to reach. But it seemed as though fate wasn't on her side, yet again as the scene unfolded before her. The agonizing scream, his name ripping through the air from three different mouths, and her own terrified heart broken scream. Her legs running towards him, Naraku disappearing, his laughter echoing in the air. Hiraikotsu flying through the air at an alarming rate only to miss and lodge itself into the wall.

She woke quickly, rising from the bed; her body covered in sweat.

'When did it get so hot?' she wondered as she tried to get her bearings. Somewhere in her mind she could hear someone asking if she was okay. At first she thought maybe it was Inuyasha and she was forced back to the past yet again for a split second.

"Kagome! Hey, answer me! Are You Alright!?" a voice yelled in her ear. Finally she snapped to reality. It took her a minute, but she was able to focus on the person above her.

"Thank Kami you're alright." said person sighed. Kagome looked at him.

"Bankotsu? What are you doing in my room?" she asked, shock obvious in her voice.

"You were having a nightmare. Screaming in your sleep." he answered, looking her over. She looked down, her hair overlapping her face.

"I know," She said simply. That's why I came to this hut in the first place. It was bothering everyone in the village. Even Kaede." she whispered.

"Kaede...I know that name. That's the old priestess at Edo, isn't it?" Bankotsu asked. Kagome nodded.

"She didn't want me to leave, after all we were close. And I'm not banned from the village. I just can't sleep there. Well, I can, but only one night at a time. Just to gather supplies." she said. Bankotsu slowly nodded in understanding. Giving up on sleep, she went to the kitchen to make more tea. After putting the kettle on the stove, she sat at the table, followed by Bankotsu.

"So. It 'get's easier', huh?" he asked raising a brow. Kagome rolled her eyes.

"It does. The nightmares however, don't." she sighed pinching the bridge of her nose.

"So what happened?" Bankotsu asked. Kagome kept her eyes shut.

"How'd what happen?" she asked.

"You know full well what." he replied. He was right, she knew what he was talking about, she just didn't want to say what happened.

"It might help, Kagome. Talking about it." he said quietly. Finally she opened her eyes to look at him. Maybe he was right.

"Alright. It was the final battle with Naraku. That we had, anyway. We had finally found Naraku in Mt. Hakurei…"

 **Flashback**

The battle was intense. Everywhere you looked there was fighting. Miroku was fighting Kagura who, conveniently, had just gotten her heart back from Naraku. Sango was typically pitted against Kohaku in a fight for survival. Kagome was helping Inuyasha fight off Naraku, along with fighting Kanna with Shippo. He had become quite the little warrior in their time together.

Next thing Kagome saw was Inuyasha flying backwards. She turned towards him, making sure he was alright. Thankfully, he was standing up without a problem. She shot an arrow at Kanna then Naraku. Then a white and red flash caught her eye.

"Inuyasha!" she yelled instinctively. A second of him looking towards Kagome, that's all it took. And Naraku pierced his chest with a miasma tentacle. Then another wrapped around his throat, and another around his torso. More wrapped around his arms at the shoulders, and his legs at the knees. Finally, one simple little tug of a tentacle, and he was ripped apart. Screams came from every direction. Sango, Miroku, and Shippo. Kagome tried to scream his name, but all that came out was a horrified, heart broken scream. Sango threw her Hiraikotsu at Naraku as he was disappearing, his manical laughter echoing in the air. A thunk was heard as the golem hit the floor. It missed and lodged itself into the wall where the spider hanyou once stood. It was obvious that he wanted them to know he wasn't there, simply a golem of himself, but he had still won. He was alive. And they, were vulnerable.

All Kagome could think as she was running towards the pile of red and white was 'he can't be dead. He can't be dead he can't be dead' she repeated it like a mantra in her head. Until she got to him. Then everything seemed to stop. Time, sound, everything. She couldn't hear Sango calling her name, or Kaguras laugh. She didn't feel the blade through her shoulder or hear Kagura scream and her head roll across the floor. She didn't notice any of it. All she knew, was Inuyasha was dead.

 **End flashback**

Bankotsu stared at her as she finished telling him what happened. His brothers all died in front of him, but he didn't think he felt as much pain at their deaths as Kagome did for Inuyasha's. she really was such a fragile young woman. He knew she was tough as nails, but even the strongest man loses his mind over the death of a loved one. Especially a violent one. And she was no exception with her best friend dying like that. Especially at the hands of Naraku who had made them suffer so much already.

Kagome hadn't wanted to relive that moment yet again, but she had no choice with how Bankotsu was looking at her. She looked at him again, tears rolling down her face, though she didn't notice. Bankotsu reached out and wiped them away giving her a small smile.

"Don't worry, Kagome. I'll be here for you." he told her. She offered him a small smile of her own. She stood to grab the kettle, which had apparently been boiling and whistling. When she reached up on a shelf to get the packages of tea, she pulled her arm in quickly and tightly, wincing. She tried to play it off like nothing, but Bankotsu saw it.

"S'that where she got you?" he asked, gesturing towards her shoulder. "Kagura, I mean." Kagome nodded. Sighing, she pulled down the edge of her yukata to reveal her shoulder. There was a big gruesome scar there.

"Even if Inuyasha had lived, I'd be of no use to him. I can't shoot a bow anymore. I'm even more useless than I was before." she sulked. At this, Bankotsu's fist slammed onto the table, startling Kagome and almost making her drop the cups. She turned quickly to look at him. His eyes were closed tightly as if he was in pain.

"Bankotsu?" she asked. He didn't look up at her. She stepped forward tentatively, reaching for his arm. Gently she placed her hand on his bicep and he looked up at her.

"What's wrong?" she asked. He looked a her incredulously.

"Seriously? As if you don't already know!" he yelled. Kagome shrunk back quickly. Bankotsu regained his composure and stood up walking to her. Before she could react, his huge arms enveloped her in a surprisingly gentle hug.

"Banko-" she was interrupted by his breath in her ear.

"You're not useless. You're so far from it. Look what you've done. Traveled with Inuyasha, gained friends in a time that's not your own, befriended demons and humans alike, fought one of the most dangerous demons in Japan, saved many lives, and all while Inuyasha was calling you useless and a copy of his clay pot priestess. You're amazing, Kagome. I wish you could see that." he whispered. Her eyes were so wide from shock she thought they were gonna pop straight out of her head.

"B-Bankotsu?" she asked. This was extremely strange behavior. Especially for him. She was already surprised he didn't kill her soon as he saw her. Still though, it was nice to actually hear someone say she was worth something. Sure, Sango and Shippo told her she was, but with Inuyasha constantly harping in her ear about what a failure she was, it was hard to believe. Pulling him back, Kagome crashed her lips to his in a firey frenzy of emotion. He returned her kiss with ferver, shocked yet pleased. When she pulled back, she smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry. That was the first time in a long time that someone made me feel worth something. I got a little emotional." she chuckled. Bankotsu laughed a breathy laugh and hugged her yet again. Kagome looked out the window to realize the sun was up. It was about six in the morning, and they had been up talking for about three hours. How time flies.

"Aw shit. I'm supposed to be on my way to Edo already!" she yelped running to the cabinet containing her clothes. she threw on her priestess garb, grabbed her backpack, and started to run out the door when she remembered Bankotsu. Stopping dead in her tracks, she looked at him with a smile.

"Wanna come with? It'd be nice to have the company." she asked. He seemed to contemplate it for a minute before nodding.

"Yeah I'll come. It's better than wandering." he replied with a smile. Kagome rolled her eyes but smiled. With a quickness, they began their trek to Edo.

"So, did he ever tell you that you were worth anything? Like ever, at all?" Bankotsu asked a few hours into their journey. Kagome stopped short, before falling back into her usual pace.

"Usually only on a new moon. Well, when he was injured. Uhm...not usually. Ever," Kagome sighed, obviously perturbed by the realization. "He didn't love me like I loved him. He preffered Kikyo." she continued bitterly.

'Come on, Kagome. It's not right to speak of the dead like that.' she thought, not realizing that Bankotsu was watching her.

"Kagome. It's okay to talk about it. You're not speaking ill of the dead, merely the truth. No one will think less of you for it." Bankotsu told her, his hand on her shoulder.

"I know you're right, but I still feel...dirty talking about it. I don't really like talking about him at all, really." she replied.

"I understand." he replied.

"What about you? What happened to your friends. Really? Jakotsu, and Suikotsu? They were my favorites. You know, even though Jakotsu hated women." she laughed lightly. Bankotsu smiled.

"Yeah, they were the greatest. I miss them. I'm not even completely sure what happened. Renkotsu went nuts. One minute we were just sitting by the fire cleaning our wounds..."

 **Flashback**

"I don't understand why we're waiting here!" Renkotsu had yelled. Bankotsu slammed his already broken fist into the tree beneath them.

"I've already told you! Because we're all far too wounded to do anything! We wouldn't be of any use to the fight, or each other!" he yelled in return. Renkotsu stood up in a flash, his gourd in his hands. Bankotsu stood up in return with Banryuu hoisted over his shoulder. For a second, Bankotsu though Renkotsu was going to sit back down, but faster than he could process, the gourd was spilling it's liquid into Renkotsu's mouth and fire was headed at Bankotsu. He jumped back, dodging the flame as best he could, but he was still singed. As he was standing, the rest of the seem started to unfold in what felt like slow motion.

Suikotsu slashed through Renkotsu's face and chest, just as Renkotsu's sword was piercing through Jakotsu's chest, who had also jumped up with his Jakotsuto. Ginkotsu, the biggest member being half machine half man, shot a cannon towards the brothers, resulting in Suikotsu's death and the destruction of the three men's bodies.

When finally Bankotsu could stand, he retrieved his Banryuu and in a fit of rage, he severed the head from the giant machine.

 **End Flashback**

"Typically it started raining and didn't stop till today." Bankotsu said, finishing his story. Kagome had been staring at the ground, horror stuck to her face like glue.

'No wonder he didn't want to talk about it,' she thought, her eyes still on the ground. Bankotsu calling her name pulled her back into reality. She looked up at him, her brown eyes full of understanding and sorrow.

"Hey, no crying. I don't need your sympathy." he spat, getting defensive. Though he was undeniably pulled to her, he had his pride to think of. And he didn't need some damn girl standing here crying for him in the middle of the road. But still, she laughed. That caught him off-guard. He looked at her quizzically to see her smiling at him.

"Men are so funny," she said simply, looking back to the road ahead her hands behind her back.

"How?" Bankotsu asked hesitantly. He wasn't completely sure he wanted to know, but it was nice for the conversation to take a turn. After all, he only told her what happened because she did.

"Because. You guys are always worried about your pride and your dignity. Which just shoots your egos through the roof. No offense. I just thinks it's a little funny." she replied.

"Huh. Most women find it annoying." he said.

"Oh, I do, too. But it's funny as well. Don't get me wrong though, I understand why. It's all about how you present yourself. Men can't risk being seen as weak, cause then people think they can walk all over them and take complete advantage of them." Kagome continued. Bankotsu laughed in return.

"That's some of it. But that's not important. This village, you're sure it won't be a problem, me being there?" he asked. Kagome's face turned grim.

"I'm sure. You're not there to harm them. Besides, these poor people have gone through much worse than the Shichinintai. They've survived the touch of Naraku." she replied grimly. Bankotsu looked at her questioningly, but decided not to push it. Obviously the lives of the people in this village are very important to her.

"Alright. Well, how far are we?" he asked. Time for a subject change.

"Well, just over that hill then we'll be in their farmlands." she replied, her gaze fixed on the hill ahead. They continued walking until they hit the outer skirts of the village itself.

Suddenly, the silence was broken by little voices screaming.

"Lady Kagome!"

"Lady Kagome!"

"Lady Kagome!"

Kagome just had enough time to brace herself as the three children tackled her. Kagome stumbled back, laughing.

"Bunta, Akane, Chiharu! How are you three?" she asked, holding their hands as they continued walking. Bankotsu watched them as they walked through the village towards the house of the head priestess and the children told her about all the things that happened while she was gone for the month. They disappeared as they got to Kaedes and the older woman walked out.

"Kagome. Here to stock up?" she asked, the three of them walked inside. Before sitting, Kaede looked pointedly at Bankotsu.

"Kaede, this is Bankotsu. He walked with me here. He's...well, alone." she said, looking to her companion. Kaede recognized the name, but kept silent. She knew Kagome had a certain sixth sense about people.

"Is everything ready?" she asked. Kaede nodded.

"Isn't it always, child?" the old woman laughed. Kagome blushed and they continued talking. Bankotsu ended up letting his thoughts wander through his past. It went on like that for a few hours, him making the occassional comment. Until suddenly the atmosphere changed. It felt as though the entire room had dropped in temperature dramatically. All eyes were on Kagome who was suddenly wearing a very angry and yet sad face.

"Any word?" she asked suddenly. Eyes cerulian and chocolate turned to face dark brown. Bankotsu didn't even have to ask who she was talking about. He knew. As did Kaede.

"None yet, but I suspect some time soon. I have a feeling fate won't keep them away for much longer. Ye'd do best to remain patient." she replied cooly. Kagome nodded but still rolled her eyes.

"What's wrong, Kagome?" Bankotsu asked. Kagome scoffed.

"I understand that what we went through was horrific, and that they needed their time to cope as well, but it's been Five years! We were like a family. At least, I thought so. That's why I stayed here instead of going home. If I'd have known , I might have gone." she answered, a tear falling down her face. She looked into the fire for a minute, letting the silence stretch.

Finally, she continued, "No. I don't think I would have gone back anyway. I was so far behind in school I would have failed and had go back a grade or two. That life wouldn't have fit me anymore. Not after all of this. This is my home now, and I wouldn't really have it any other way."

"Why don't you search for them?" Bankotsu asked. Kagome looked at him incredulously.

"What? Are you serious? You mean go on another adventure through Japan mindlessly wandering following hints and clues to try and find my friends who might not even want to be found?" She asked.

"Yeah," he shrugged."Why not? I'll even go with you. If you want, we can search for the fox kit first."

"Go search for them...hmm.." she mumbled. She wanted to think about whether it was worth it or not. "Okay. Let's do it. We can use the supplies from here. We'll have to stop back at the cabin."

"Alright. Sounds good. So where do we start?" he asked. Kagome dead panned. Where could she possibly start looking for Shippo? Wait!

"We helped him build a small shrine where his father was killed. We can start there." she answered. Bankotsu smiled.

"Good. Where is it?" he asked. Again, she deadpanned.

"I don't know. But, I know how to get there." she replied sheepishly. Bankotsu groaned.

"It's getting dark. Ye'll have some stew and sleep first." Kaede chided. The other two nodded and looked back to the fire.

"So, what's your guys' story? I mean, how'd you all meet?" Bankotsu asked looking to both women. They both let out a hearty laugh in return.

"Oh god, it was So many years ago! Well, at my families shrine in the future, we have both the bone-eaters well, and the Goshinboku. Well one day I fell through the well to this era, where I was attacked by a demon by the name of Mistress Centipede. The power of the jewel shard, which used to be in my abdomen," she started, untucking her haori to show the scar from the Jewel.

"Well I ended up freeing Inuyasha from the Goshinboku where he had been pinned by an arrow shot by Kikyo. But why that happened is a whole other story. Anyways, he killed Mistress Centipede then tried to kill me and get the jewel. Well, Kaede cast the Beads of Subjucation onto him where I comanded him with a simple word, I'm sure you've heard it. Well we got into a fight and I left, got kidnapped by bandit that had a leader with a Demon crow for a heart. The crow got the Jewel, Inuyasha came to my rescue, crow grabbed a kid, Inuyasha cut the leg off, the bird was flying away and it's claw was still on the childs back. Well back then I wasn't the greatest marksman. So I attached the foot to an arrow and shot it, the bird exploded, as did the Jewel. Thus our adventure began." she finished. As she looked at him, she could see he was trying really hard to hold back his laughter. She could hear chuckling coming from Kaede, too.

"Okay you guys, come on! I was fifteen! And from five hundred years in the future! I was scared, I wanted to go home, and I had never shot a bow in my life!" she defended. That just made them let loose. They laughed harder and she groaned, hiding her head.

"Okay so how did you meet the others?" Bankotsu asked, reigning in his laughter. Kagome smiled a small smile.

"Well, we met Shippo before any of them. Poor baby he had been with his father, who had a shard of the Jewel. The Thunder Brothers had killed him and taken it. We found him and I took him in. Manten, the uglier and younger of the brothers, had taken his fathers pelt and wore it around his waist. Well we got attacked by the Brothers and I was kidnapped," another snicker, "so Shippo talked Inuyasha into saving me. Well all that happened, big fight, I almost died. Shippos father gave out one last burst of Fox Fire to save us from an attack. The brothers died, we took their shards, we also took Shippo in and buried his father. After that, we met Miroku." she said, stopping to take a couple bites of soup.

"We met him in a fight against Sesshomaru. He had taken a hive of Saimyosho from Naraku. Miroku got poisoned after sucking some through the void in his hand. He stayed with us after that, and even saved Inuyasha and Kaedes lives a day or so after that." Another few bites.

"Sango, we met after we stumbled upon her village, where everyone had been slaughtered. We buried them and prayed for their souls. We went to a nearby lords mansion after that where Sango, Kohaku and all the villages best fighters were. All of them but Sango had been slain. The mansions lord was possesed by a spider demon. He had ensnared Kohaku to kill everyone. Sango included. Anyways, she lived. They convinced her that Inuyasha had slaughtered her village. Naraku gave her a Jewel shard to help her fight him. And she did. She fought until the only thing keeping her alive was pure will. We tended to her, told her the truth of what happened. Later we found out that Kohaku disappeared along with Naraku who was the Lord sons advisor. Sango agreed to travel with us. We've been a family ever since." she concluded. She gathered their bowls and chop sticks rinsing them in the water basin, then returning to her seat.

"Damn. He was ensnared everywhere, wasn't he?" Bankotsu asked. Kagome and Kaede nodded.

"Ye have no idea. But, ye will soon learn," Kaede replied. "But for now, sleep. A long day is ahead of you both." They nodded and layed themselves down. Sleep consumed them quickly, as they both thought of Kagomes story.

 _There we go! Chapter two everyone! Hope you liked it!_


	3. Right Back 'round

Love In Purgatory

Chapter 3

Whoo! Chapter three! Wheeee! I hope you guys are enjoying it so far(: And don't forget, R&R! 3 Also, I apologize if it gets a little loopy, I'm White Russians are on the menu tonight ;P

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of it's given characters.

The next morning went with ease. They both woke, washed, packed and headed back to her hut. When they got there, Kagome went straight to a chest at the back. Bankotsu hadn't even seen it. He walked over to her, not looking in. She looked up at him and laughed.

"You can look in. It's just some old stuff." she said, grabbing her yellow backpack out. Bankotsu scoffed.

"You still have that thing after all these years?" he asked. She smiled in response. As he looked at the chest, something red caught his eye.

"You kept his haori?" Kagome looked at him, then to the item in question.

"I had to. Besides, I wear it if I ever have to go farther than Edo. It's good protection." she replied. She continued grabbing bottles and vials, wrappings and a red box with a white cross. He wasn't sure what that was. She stood and went to close the trunk. Putting his hand out, he stopped her.

"What about your bow?" he asked. Kagome looked solemn.

"There's no use. I can't shoot it anymore. I've tried." she replied curtly. Bankotsu stooped down and grabbed it, along with her quiver of arrows. "Is that it?" she nodded.

"Let's get some distance down then." he replied. Kagome followed behind him, locking her door. For a split second she thought about grabbing her bike. She thought better though and continued on.

On and on they walked, determination fueling them towards their destination. They didn't stop until well after nightfall when they could barely see where they were walking.

"Oh shit!" was suddenly heard.

"What's wrong?" Kagome asked. Bankotsu looked back at her with a goofy grin.

"Nothin'," he said, "I tripped."

"Well maybe we should make camp." Kagome laughed. Bankotsu nodded. They walked into the forest to their right, searching for a place to camp. Finding a great red pinetree, Kagome set down her bag, grabbing a small flashlight. She turned it on, and began looking for wood. Bankotsu assisted, his eye on the spectacular object.

"Is-is that a magic torch?" he asked. Kagome looked at him, sort of confused.

"This? Oh! That's right... It's called a flashlight. It's from my time. It's called electricity. It's just glass with metal making it light. Sort of. It's complicated to explain and frankly I don't know how to explain the mechanics of a flashlight. So yeah. It's a type of torch, I guess." she replied, letting Bankotsu explore it. She laughed when he shined it in his eyes and almost screamed.

"Coulda told me it was bright." he grumbled.

"It should have been obvious." she giggled back. Shaking her head, she walked back to the tree. She stacked the wood and started the fire. He sat with her, watching her warm her hands before pulling out food to cook.

"So, how did Inuyasha know Naraku?" he asked. Kagome gave a small laugh.

"Well, technically, he didn't actually know Naraku until after I had arrived in this time. When the Jewel arrived. It was only after I released him from the tree that he ever even learned that Naraku was behind it all,"

"Anyways, to tell Inuyasha's story correctly, I have to go back to the very beginning. To the life of the Shikon No Tama. The priestess Midoriko was in an intense battle with a huge army of demons. At the end of the battle, when the dragonesque demon Had Midoriko in it's jaws, she used the last of her strength and forced the Jewel into existence. Which is a whole lot of technical stuff that I don't really want to get into." She munched on a piece of meat that she had on a plate.

"So they were entombed in their own bodies and a type of...glass, I guess. Well, years passed, and the Jewel had been passed to Kikyo eventually. She guarded it well, until she met Inuyasha. He had made many attempts to steal it, but she always stopped them. He had guarded her and they eventually fell in love. He wanted the Jewel so he could be full demon, of course. But she had talked him into using it to become full human. That was when Naraku came into play. He had disguised himself as Inuyasha and mortally wounded Kikyo. Then, still disguised, he took the Jewel. Unknown, he had placed the Jewel back in the shrine in the village."

"After that, he disguised himself as Kikyo," she continued.

"Wait wait wait. He disguised himself as a woman?" Bankotsu asked.

"Yes. Now shush and listen. He disguised himself as Kikyo and told the villagers that Inuyasha would come for the Jewel at any cost. Hence, Inuyasha had to fight to get the Jewel. After that, still disguised as Kikyo, Naraku attacked Inuyasha. Inuyasha was smart enough to realize that something was wrong and he went back to the village, where he took the Jewel. As Inuyasha was escaping, Kikyo shot an arrow pulsing strong with Miko powers and sealed him to the Goshinboku where he stayed for fifty years," she finished. Bankotsus face was full of surprise.

"God damn... You weren't kidding when you said he had his fingers in everything." he replied.

"You don't even know. He knew Kikyo before that. Before he was Naraku." Kagome laughed. Bankotsus eyes widened.

"He was someone else?" he asked. Kagome nodded.

"Yes, but that's a story for another night." came the answer. Soon they snuggled under they're blankets by the fire, making small talk and watching the leaves of the trees do their dance in the night.

Morning. Such a beautiful time of day. Kagome woke easily, which she noted was odd. But still, she wasn't going to complain. That was the first time she felt at peace in a long time. Maybe she should have done this sooner. But of course, she knew she wouldn't have had the motivation to go on this insane journey with her ex-enemy. Heh. What a funny thought. One of the peole who tried to kill her and her friends was now travelling with her to find her friends. Ironic, right?

"Good morning." Bankotsu chuckled from his place beside the fire. Kagome jumped to the side with a yelp.

"How long have you been awake?" she asked settling back into her seat. he laughed and layed on his back.

"Better part of an hour." was the simple reply. Kagome gawked at him. Was he watching her stretch and think? Watching her reaction to such a great morning? Oh well. Maybe it'll give him a little peace of mind.

She stood up, and started packing. He did the same, and went to pick some berries. There was a town not far that they could get some food. With the berries in a pouch on his belt, they walked down the road, another determined day in front of them. Kagome wondered what the day would bring.

"Hey, so you know what you said last night. About Inuyasha being bound to the Goshinboku. How long did you say he had been there by the time you found him?"

"Fifty years. Kikyo had died the day she pinned him there." she replied.

"Wow. So, you're from five hundred years in the future?"

"Yep. I sure am." she answered.

"Huh. Well...did the well just decide where to dump you? Or what happened?" he asked. Kagome shrugged.

"I don't know. I never thought about it, really. But it dropped me here when Japan needed me, I suppose." Bankotsu seemed satisfied with that answer, but Kagome wasn't really. But she figured her reason was good enough.

"Hey, I have a question."she gasped out.

"What?" Bankotsu replied.

"How'd you meet Jakotsu?" she asked. Bankotsu burst into laughter.

"Wow that was a long time ago. We were kids, growing up in the same village. I always knew therewas something different about him. How he hated hakamas, he always looked at yukatas. Of course, at the time I had no idea what any of that mant. All I knew, was that he was crazy, incredibly strong, and my best friend. Even as we got older, and the kids that we grew up with, that were always fine with the way he was, started making fun of him. Throwing rocks, sometimes sticks, calling him things. It was kinda horrifying, really. To see them all just turn on him one day. Anyways, it made us stronger. Angrier, but stronger. We left the village at thirteen. Began wandering. Started stealing. Then killing. After that, killing and stealing. Finally though, we began doing it for money." he told her.

Part of him expected to see her surprised. Like she had been to learn that he was a mercernary their first time meeting. Then again, she was still very young. Maybe not so much to him in age, but her mind was young. She hadbeen naive at the time. But she has most certainly grown in these years.

They pressed on, continuing down the road. As they did, Kagome couldn't help that her thoughts wandered to her silver-haired hanyou. He was her closest friend. It's true, she loved him. But it faded to loving him as a brother as the years went on. Her poor, sweet, friend.


	4. Fox Kit No More

Love In Purgatory

Chapter 4

Alright. Chapter four. Read and Review, and I promise I will try to write more chapters. But with being a full time mom, it's kinda hard to focus on a story haha.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, all rights go to Rumiko Takahashi as she owns Inuyasha.

They had been walking for days. The place where they had found Shippo was farther than she remembered. But she missed her little kit. Five years is way too long. Bankotsu watched her as she thought of her young demon child.

"You alright?" he asked. She looked up at him and smiled.

"Yeah, I'm alright. Just thinking about Shippo. I miss him, you know? He was like my son and I haven't seen him for five years. That's too long." she laughed. No matter how sad she thought she'd be, she couldn't deny that she was excited. Going on another adventure, searching for her friends. And this time she had Bankotsu for company. New friends were always ood. Even if they were your enemy at one point. Though really, he was never her enemy. Only by default because of Naraku and Inuyasha.

"What about you?"she asked looking at him again. He shrugged.

"I'm good. It's a little quieter than I'm used to. I'm used to Jakotsu and Renkotsu going at it all the time." He chuckled. Kagome laughed with him. She could imagine it, the beautifully disastorous cross-dresser arguing with the bald headed man.

"You know, I think that if Jakotsu didn't hate women so much, or I was a man, we could have been good friends." She said, off-handedly. For some reason, the picture he must have pictured made Bankotsu stop and double over with laugter. Kagome stopped and watched him, confusion and curiosity lining her features.

Kagome turned and looked ahead. Something familliar caught her eye, and her heart swelled with joy. She ran ahead, not worrying if Bankotsu was behind her or not- which he was. She stopped when she reached what had caught her eye.

The memorial shrine for Shippos father they had built. They finally reached it. Now if only there was some sort of clue as to where Shippo was.

"We should take a break. We can eat and figure out where Shippo might be." Bankotsu offered. Kagome nodded and instantly broke into her walked to a grassy area not far behind the shrine and layed a blanket down. No sense in getting grass stains. It had just rained in this area, after all. And since the Thunder Brothers were no longer here, the foliage actually had a chance to grow. Bankotsu gathered some firewood quickly.

"No wonder this place wasn't as familiar as I thought it would be. I didn't think that since the Thunder Brothers are dead the trees would actually be able to grow." Kagome commented as she started the fire with the sticks Bankotsu had grabbed. As she was cooking the meat, the two of them heard scuffling in the underbrush behind them. bankotsu had had hand on the hilt of Banryuu and Kagome had her bow in her hand reaching for an arrow.

To their surprise, out walked what looked like a teenage Shippo. He stopped dead in his tracks at the sight before him. Instantly, his mind went into over drive. He flung out a statue and enlarged it on the blade of Banryuu. Since Shippo was older and stronger, his statue was bigger and heavier. Bankotsu struggled, but couldn't lift his blade. He looked up, shocked, at Shippo who had a ball of fox fire ready to fire.

"Shippo, wait!" Kagome yelled quickly. She stood and grabbed his shoulder. "Shippo it's alright. Bankotsu was helping me travel. I know, it's weird. But he's alone. And so was I, so we figured what better way to not be alone, then to travel together and find my family."

"Your family? But the well-" Shippo started.

"Is closed forever, I know. I was talking about you. You, Sango and Miroku. You guys are my family." she laughed as she wrapped him in a hug.

"You know, it's lucky that you walked through here, cause I had no clue where to find you from here." Kagome joked as they all sat. Bankotsu was looking at Shippo expectantly.

"What?" Shippo asked, looking none the wiser. Then it hit him. "Oh yeah. Haha, sorry." he continued as he deformed the statue on Banryuu. Bankotsu smiled and brushed the little chunks of statue that were left behind off his sword.

"It's alright. Understandeable, really. What were you supposed to do, seeing me sitting here with Kagome." he lauhed. Shippo nodded and looked at Kagome.

"So, you came out here to find me?" he asked. Kagome nodded.

"Yeah. After we found you we were gonna head to the Slayer's Village and see if Sango and Miroku were still there. We were gonna see if you wanted to come along." she said. Shippo smiled.

"It's really good to see you again. I've missed you like crazy. I was gonna come see you but I didn't know if you were still in Edo, or if you were even ready to see any of us. I'm glad you are now, though." he replied.

"Not ready? What do you mean?" Kagome asked.

"He means that after the Final Battle, he wasn't sure if you could emotionally or mentally handle seeing them all again. He probably thought seeing them might bring along a fit of Warriors Sickness*." Bankotsu calmly cut in. Kagome looked at Shippo and he sheepishly nodded.

"Well, I can't really guarantee that it wouldn't have. Thank you for the consideration, Shippo. It really means alot. But really, I didn't expect you guys to visit really. I mean, we had all spent so much of our lives with Inuyasha following the Jewel and Naraku. Especially you, Shippo. You were so young and had to see battle so soon." she said, mournfully. Shippo wrapped his arms around her, glad that he could properly hug his mother figure.

"You know, as glad that I am that I can actually fight and protect myself, I misspeoplecarrying me." He said jokingly, winking at Bankotsu who was laughing and nodding at Shippo. Shippo felt her shaking and at first thought she was crying until she sat up straight. Her face was already red from laughter.

"So, Shippo," Bankotsu said through his chuckles, "what have you been up to?"

"Nothing really. Just honing my abilities, honoring my father."

"So would you be willing to join us?" Kagome asked timidly. She wanted to see Shippo more and spend time with him again, but she didn't want to pull him away from anything he had going on. Especially his father. He already had to wait so long to honor him.

"You know, I've spent so much time training myself on the hill that Hiten and Manten died on." Shippo replied. Kagomes eyes went wide. "I think an adventure would do me good."

"You've been training on that hill?" Kagome asked. Shippo nodded.

"The memories help me focus." he replied simply.

*For those who don't know, I don't exactly have the correct term, but it's an easy one to figure out. All it is is referencing to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Also, let's just assume Shippo is powerful enough to maintain Humanoid form.


	5. Stories, stories, stories

Love In Purgatory

Chapter 5

It had been three days since they found Shippo and continued their journey for Kagome's friends.

"Hey Shippo, can I ask you something?" Bankotsu said, lowering his voice so only Shippo could hear. They both looked at Kagome, who busied herself with dinner. Shippo nodded.

"Why did you guys leave Kagome? I mean...why didn't you guys stay? Just for a little while." He asked, trying to say it the nicest way he could for Kagomes sake. Shippos head dropped. After a few minutes, he spoke.

"When...When we-when In-" he let out an anguished grunt but forced himself to continue. "When Inuyasha died, all of us took it hard. Kagome took it the hardest. She stood where he died for hours after. We all tried to get her to come to Edo with us, but she wouldn't. Not then. I told Miroku and Sango to go ahead, that'd I'd stay with Kagome for when she was ready to leave." Closing his eyes, Shippo took a calming breath. Glancing between Shippo and Kagome, Bankotsu listened intently to Shippos story.

"After a day or so, she finally let me move her. I transformed into a bird and flew as far as I could. Thankfully I had enough strength to get to Edo. But...it was like she was empty. Like she just wasn't there anymore. We stayed for days. But, she just wouldn't respond to us. We couldn't stand to see her like that anymore. We didn't know if she'd ever snap out of it...so we left. Went our own directions for a little while." he finished, looking at his hands. Bankotsu didn't say anything, but as Shippo told his story, Bankotsu noticed tears running down his face and hitting his hands.

"But...she said you all left pretty much right after it happened." Bankotsu replied, confused. Shippo nodded.

"I kinda figured it would feel like that for her," he said solemnly. "I think, that because she was so numb, it didn't seem like very long..but...we stayed for about a month, altogether, ya know? It just..his death hit her so hard. She was in love with him for a long time, after all. I think though, after a few years of unrequited love, she saw him more as a brother or something... Family." Bankotsu nodded thoughfully and looked at Kagome. How could she still be so sane, when she's lost so much?

"What family did she have in the future? Do you know?" he asked. Shippo looked at him funnily, but replied, "A mother, brother and grandfather. Her father died when her brother was still a baby."

Bankotsus eyes were wide. "She's very strong hearted..." he said thoughtfully. Shippo smiled with pride.

"Yep. She's the strongest woman I know. Although, Sango comes at a close second. She lost her whole village, family included, in one day." Shippo said.

"Yeah, Kagome told me about that...And about your father. I'm sorry, by the way. You shouldn't have had to go through that." Bankotsu replied, gingerly placing his hand on Shippos shoulder. Shippo nodded in response and looked at Kagome.

"The hardest part about it all was seeing him as a pelt around Mantens waist. And not being strong enough to avenge him. It was rough. But...Kagome and Inuyasha got me through it. They took revenge for me. Kagome killed Manten and Inuyasha killed Hiten. Perfect team work. Poor Kagome, though. She was always getting kidnapped." He laughed.

Kagomes attention was snapped away from the food she was preparing by the sound of laughter. She looked up, to find Shippo and Bankotsu laughing and looking between her and each other. She raised a delicate eyebrow in question, but they both hastily shook their heads.

"Alright, you two, enough of whatever you're doing and get over here. Lunch is done."

As they ate, Bankotsus mind swam with the information about them. He realized, again, that Naraku hadn't really told him anything. Everything he knew about them was a lie. These people are good. Very good. They saved so many lives, and for some reason, Naraku hated them. But why?

"What's wrong, Bankotsu?" Kagome asked, searching his face.

"Huh? What? Oh uh, nothing, really. I was just thinking about how much Naraku lied to us. My brothers and I. He told us you were all...different. Evil, I guess. Not like we weren't. But, when he made us try and kill you guys over and over...it seemed right. But now that he's dead and I'm the only one of my brothers alive, it all seems so...stupid, I guess is the word. Like there wasn't any reason. And I don't understand why he hated you all so bad." he replied. Kagome laughed.

"Well, that's quite a story in itself. In the beginning times of Kikyo's time as Priestess of the Jewel, she came across a bandit in a cave. His whole body was badly burned. He couldn't even walk. She took care of him as well as she could. He ended up loving her..." she paused for a second, and Bankotsu could see the bitterness in her eyes. Because of Naraku? No...it had to be Inuyasha. She continued, "Anyways, he called a bunch of demons forth and begged them to enter his body. They did, and thus was born Naraku." Kagome explained.

"So...Kikyo. Who was she, exactly?" Bankotsu asked. Kagome stood up and walked away, grabbing her backpack and mumbling about hot springs. Bankotsu looked on in confusion while Shippo chuckled. He scooted closer to Bankotsu and slapped him on the back. Don't worry about it, too much. She'll cool off. It's just that, through our whole time trying to collect the Jewel shards, Kikyo popped up like rats in a storm. Everywhere, it was something about Kikyo. With Inuyasha, it was always about Kikyo. He was in love with her. Always ragging on Kagome about how Kikyo was better. She could shoot, she'd know what to do, yada yada. It really broke Kagome down. But Sango, Miroku, Kaede and I would always be there to try and build her back up again. But...he left a mark on her. Mentally. Somehow, though, she kept herself bright and happy. All these years." Shippo mused. Bankotsu watched him.

"You're very proud of her, aren't you? She really is your mother." Bankotsu asked, And it sounded, to Shippo, like awe. Shippos smile grew till it reached his eyes.

"Yeah. She is. She is my mother. I love her as my mother, and I love her more than I've ever loved anyone. She saved my life and continued to do so every day. I'm very proud of her. She's amazing." He replied, as Kagome came into view.


	6. Authors Note

Authors note

Hi everyone! I know I haven't written anything for Love in Purgatory for a long time.

I apologize for that. There was just...nothing coming to me for this. So there was a chapter for you guys. I'll try to keep it going tonight

x_bankotsu_luver_x


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